Cavaliers lose third straight, shot down by Rockets 135-131

BY TIM SHIRER

CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER

(CLEVELAND, OH) - The Cleveland Cavaliers (36-9, 21-3 home) returned to Rocket Mortgage Field on Saturday night to take on the Houston Rockets (30-14, 15-7 road) sporting a two-game losing streak for only the second time this season. The Rockets defeated the Cavs on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center 109-108. The Cavs were still without Isaac Okoro (shoulder) and Dean Wade (knee) and Caris LeVert (wrist), but Evan Mobley returned after a four-game absence. But Mobley’s return did not turn the tide and for the first time this season the Cavs had a three-game losing streak with the Rockets securing the 135-131 win.

The Cavs took an early 8-2 lead with the score actually being Donovan Mitchell 8 Rockets 2. The Rockets closed the gap to 10-7 with 8:28 left when Fred Van Fleet hit a three. The Rockets then took a 13-12 lead with 7:01 left when Van Fleet drained his second three in less than a minute and a half. For the next several minutes the lead changed hands seven times until the Rockets went up 21-18 with 4:35 left when Jalen Green drove the lane and scored on a layup. The Rockets lead was five until Georges Niang hit a three with 3:06 left to cut the lead to 25-23. As time ran out in the opening quarter the Cavs trailed by the largest deficit of the game 33-27. Mitchell led everyone with eight points, Green led the Rockets with seven. Mitchell scored eight points in the first 1:16 of the quarter and was held scoreless after. The Rockets were on fire shooting 61% (13 of 21) while the Cavs shot 50% (11 of 22). The Rockets also shot better than the Cavs from three points range 50% (3 of 6) while the Cavs shot 38% (3 of 8). Finally, the Rockets also out rebounded Cleveland 11-8.

With 8:44 left in the first half the Rockets lead had increased to double digits at 43-33. The Cavs then went on a 7-0 run capped off by a three from Sam Merrill with 6:35 left on the clock. The Cavs pulled to within one point at 45-44 with 5:27 left when Darius Garland scored on a layup. The Rockets then went on a 10-2 run to take a 55-46 lead with 3:33 left capped off by a three by Cleveland public enemy number one Dillon Brooks. Things were unraveling quickly with 1:34 left, leaving Green hit a three and was fouled by Max Strus. Green hit the free throw, and the Rockets led 66-50. As time ran out in the half the Cavs trailed 68-54 and earned every point of the 14 point deficit as they looked worn out as they headed to the locker room. Green led all scorers with 16 first half points. Garland and Niang led the Cavs with 12 points apiece. The Rockets shot 59% (27 of 46) while the Cavs shot 49% (21 for 43).

The Rockets lead ballooned to 18 points at 74-56 with 9:28 left in the third quarter and things looked grim. With 6:42 left, the Cavs cut the lead to 76-65 after Mitchell hit his last two shots after missing 10 in a row. With 5:41 left Mitchell scored again, hitting a three from the top of the arc to cut the Houston lead to 79-70. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka called an immediate timeout. Then with 4:59 left Garland hit a three and cut the Houston lead to 79-73. Then with 4:23 left the Cavs cut the lead to 81-76 when Garland hit a three. The Cavs looked as though they could not get any closer than five as the third quarter ended and the Rockets had built the lead back up 101-84 as the Rockets outscored Cleveland 20-8 in the final 4:23. Garland and Alperen Sengun led all scorers with 23 points each through three quarters.

As the fourth quarter began, the Cavs continued to struggle defending the Rockets and on the offensive end could not pull down rebounds after missing shots with 8:05 left the Cavs trailed 113-99 after a Tari Eason dunk. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson took an immediate timeout. With 6:44 left, Niang threw the ball off of a Rockets player so he would not fall out of bounds. The ball was ruled to go to the Rockets. Atkinson challenged the call, and it was overturned. Mitchell drove the lane to score and was fouled cutting the Houston lead to 115-108 with 6:33 remaining in regulation. With 6:02 left Sengun was charged with his fourth personal foul sending Mitchell to the line he hit both and the Hoston lead was 117-110. With the Rockets up 119-110 Mitchell was fouled by Amen Thompson with 4:56 remaining, he got three free throws, he hit two of three to cut the Cleveland deficit to seven. Then with 4:24 left Niang hit a three to cut Houston lead to six and then to four at 121-117 with 4:02 left in the final quarter when Houston turned the ball over and Mitchell scored at the other end. Houston called a timeout. The Cavs defense that has been an issue of late struck again allowing Van Fleet to hit a three with 3:45 remaining, but Niang responded at the other end with a three and the Rockets lead was four again. After the Cavs got a defensive stop Mitchell pulled the Cavs to within two points with 2:39 remaining. Then with 1:51 left Garland came to the line with a chance to tie the game with two free throws, he hit both and the Cavs had come all the way back and the game was tied 124-124. With 1:31 left Niang fouled Sengun. The Rockets be man hit one of two, but the Rockets got the rebound. After and out of bound stoppage off the Cavs the Rockets scored on a dunk by Thompson giving Houston a 127-124 lead with :55 left. Mitchell was then fouled with :52.5 left. He could only hit two of three and the Cavs trailed 127-126. On the other end after a missed shot by Houston Mobile was called for a ticky tack foul, they hit both and the Rockets led 129-126. Mitchell then laid a brick at the other end. Van Fleet was fouled with :25.9 left and he hit both free throws at the other end giving Houston a 131-126 lead. The Cavs once again had sunk their own ship with huge late game mistakes as the Rockets swept the season series with a 135-126 win.

Garland led all scorers in the loss with 39 points, one shy of his season high of 40 which he notched on January 9th against the Toronto Raptors. Mitchell ended the game with 33 points, which is deceiving as he went over 26 minutes without scoring and missed ten shots in a row during that period. Sengun and Green led the Rockets with 26 points apiece. The Rockets had four guys who scored 20+ points.

The Rockets shot 55% (45 of 82) from the field while the Cavs shot 52% 47 of 91). Houston also outshot the Cavs from behind the three-point line 46% (13 of 28) to 44% (17 of 39). The Cavs once again were outrebounded and as Atkinson said after the game, they gave up 135 points which is too much. He went on to say they have some things to fix but need the day off on Sunday.

The Cavs will have Sunday off and then host JB Bickerstaff and the Detroit Pistons on Monday night at 7 pm at RMFH. The Cavs are 1-0 against Detroit this season beating the Pistons in the Cavs home opener and Bickerstaff’s return to RMFH on October 25th 113-101..